With Pineapples reaching $3 a piece on the retail shelf, I received a question regarding the proper procedure for sampling pineapples when determining the percent of soluble solids (brix), specifically how many pineapples would have to be destroyed, for the extraction of juice. The produce inspector had done his research, noting the USDA does not have […]
You may be receiving some bulk peaches, and the color does not appear to be as uniform as the place packs from Chile or California. You may be wondering if the peaches can be rejected based on color. As you can see from above, some of the peaches have full color, while others have the […]
Because asparagus is a highly perishable commodity, the freshly harvested spears are either cooled quickly using a hydro-cooler, or through forced air cooling. From the hydro-cooling process it is very possible the tips of the spears may appear wet, or even exude water when squeezed. Although this may lead to an increased chance of decay, the mere […]
This may be new to you. It is new to everyone. The USDA has decided to score strawberries being wet from leaking juice as a serious damage defect. I assume the US Grade Standards for Strawberries has been around since the Raspberry Standard, which has a date of 1931. Up until this year, this defect was pretty much […]
Continue reading about Strawberries- Wet From Leaking Juice »
Maybe the USDA will get it right this time. They struggled with making revisions to the US Grade Standards for Potatoes back in 2008, issuing changes in April and once again in November. This time around they are attempting to clean up their mistakes, and for the most part they seem to have it right. […]
For those of you that have read a USDA Inspection Certificate you have noticed certain terms used over and over, such as “Generally”, “Mostly”, and “Many” to name a few. These terms actually mean something within the inspection service. Listed below are the terms and their definitions you may see: Practically All- 95 to 100% Generally- […]
It happens all too often. You receive a load of produce, where the product is in good shape, but the load has shifted and you notice some damaged cartons. What are your options? In most cases you can simply separate the damaged cartons from the rest of the load and place the damaged cartons back on the […]
I will do my best to wade through the USDA terminology to make this as easy to understand as possible. When you are inspecting strawberries you will be keeping an eye out for bruising and decay, but one of the other common defects you may encounter will be misshapen strawberries. If you are looking for […]
There is a reason grower use a paper wrap while packing eggplant. The skin on eggplant is very sensitive, easily bruised, nicked and scuffed. The paper acts to protect the surface of the eggplant from damage. When you inspect eggplant you should be careful when removing the paper and be sure to re-wrap the eggplant when […]
Whether you are inspecting northern grown onions, or Bermuda Granex-Grano (BGG) onions grown in the South, you should always be careful to determine if decay is affecting the necks of the onions. The decay affecting the necks is usually found in onions that have been in storage, but weather conditions, rainy, wet weather, can increase the odds of […]